If you have children, grandkids, nieces, nephews or just kids that you have taken care of in the past – you certainly know how important it is to make sure they are safe and secure when you take off down the road.
Whether it is an infant, a toddler, or a tween – kids need to be buckled up properly. You never know what might happen in an instant; you want them safe. Do you ever cheer for your child at a sporting event or performance? Don’t you wish you could get the same acknowledgment for your parenting wins like finding the right car seat for your child?
In the US alone, a child under 13 is involved in a car crash every 33 seconds. That is astonishing if you stop and think about it. We all know that car seats can effectively reduce the risk of fatality or injury in young children, but over half of car seats used for safety are not safe, because they are installed or used incorrectly.
The same can be said for our older children. A full 50% of children age 8-14 who were killed in car crashes from 2011-2015 were not restrained. Buckling up is critical and wearing your seat belt the right way is just as important as installing a car seat correctly.
Despite their best intentions, some parents, grandparents, and caregivers do not even realize that their child is not in the right seat. Many parents, grandparents, or caregivers switch their kids to a new seat or to a seat belt too soon. So, they unknowingly have their child in the wrong restraint type (car seat, booster seat, seat belt). To make certain you have the right seat for your child, visit SaferCar.gov/TheRightSeat.
Tweens are children ages 8 to 14
According to data from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), it’s estimated that 69,000 tweens are injured each year in car crashes, and sadly, 61% of 14-year-old children who were killed in 2015 car crashes were unrestrained at the time of the collision.
For tweens, the best thing we can do as parents, grandparents, and caregivers is to be proactive and lead by example. Start early – teach them that the car does not move until the seat belt clicks. They will grow up knowing it is simply expected that when someone gets in your vehicle, the seat belt gets buckled. Period.
Even though life as a parent is loaded with compromises, seat belt safety should never be up for negotiation. For more info or if you need additional tips to convince your tween always to buckle up, visit SaferCar.gov/KidsBuckleUp. Also, if you have a great tip, join the conversion on social media to help other parents by using the hashtag #KidsBuckleUp.
This is some really great information about car seats. Vehicle safety is so important, especially when it comes to our family!
I don’t have kids of my own but I do take care of my nieces and nephews from time to time. It’s really important to make sure that they’re safe while in the car especially with all the things that can possibly happen. I think this is a good reminder for parents as well.
It’s important that we teach them about car safety. I will never risk the lives of my kids just because they won’t use the seatbelt. From a reliable car seat to allowing them to get used to using the seat belts, everything’s essential.
I have taught my children to buckle up the very minute they get in the car. Me and my husband did our very best to be good examples of responsible driving and practicing vehicle safety. It is too big a risk to allow your kids to ride unbuckled.
This is a very important reminder for kids and parents too. Buckling up saves lives! It is difficult to make teenagers, even tweens follow the rule but with making them aware of the consequences of not buckling up may make them realize its importance.
Thankfully it has never been an issue with our kids. It has never been a choice, they just wear them and don’t ask questions.
I am not the one to preach seat belt safety. I am the world’s worst to not wear one. I do see the reason why we should, but I am just not good at remembering to put my seat belt on. So, I think I should heed this post and its info for myself.
Some people think it’s ok to be flippant about seatbelts. For myself, I’m not as strict as I would be if I had children.
A child’s safety should be a parent’s number one concern. Riding around in the car is no choke and requires safety precautions.
I definitely agree that kids need to be secured in the car. They have too much of a tendency to get up and walk around while you’re driving.
My daughter just turned ten is about 55 inches. She just graduated from a booster seat and now just uses a seat belt at all times.
It always boggles my mind when I see kids bopping around a car unrestrained, and burns my butt when I notice the parents are wearing their safety belts. We have always used safety belts with our kids and they don’t even think twice about clicking it in as soon as they get in the car.
My kids never go anywhere until they buckle up. That includes when they’re out with friends. They know if we get word that they didn’t buckle up that they’re SO grounded.
Car safety is something that we really should discuss with the kids. It’s important to make them aware of the things that can happen and what to do to avoid it.
This is such an important post! Cars safety is super important. It’s one thing that scares me the most.
My kids understand about the use of seat belts. They know one rule: when we are in the car, it never moves until everyone is buckled up! I’m all about safety when it comes to my family and educating my kids about vehicle safety is a must!
I always told my children that seat belts are in the car for a reason. I make them aware of the consequences if they ride unbuckled. Thank you for this great reminder. Hope more parents pay close attention to their kids when on the road.
No compromises when it comes to travel safety. My kids did it automatically once they get in the car. I hope more parents would be aware of the danger of not buckling up. They may scream and cry when being buckled in, but I’d rather have that than to see them screaming and crying in pain if they figure in an accident.
I take car safety very seriously. Anything can happen when you are on the road.
It is nice to have a place to refer to make sure your kids are in the right seat because there are so many choices. I always make sure my older kids are buckled in when we travel.
Seatbelts save lives…this quote is timeless but so true. It is so important to instil car safety at a young age.
My son is a tween!! I never ever thought of that until now. Thank you… lol. 😉 Car safety is vital for sure, at any age, but esp. now when they aren’t overly keen to be in a booster but must be.
Car seat safety is the most important thing to me as a parent. I make sure to alway follow all recommended safety for my children. My kids know i always say “safety first!”
It is so important to teach kids to wear a seatbelt. My son in law works at a hospital and sees so many tragedies that could have been prevented.
When my kids were transitioning from car seats to a regular seat, it was so scary, at least to me. I was double and triple checking every connection and point.
This is such important information. Car seat safety is not anything to mess around with. You have to make sure you have everything in order.
Taking the extra few seconds to make sure everyone is buckled up is important! A safe car seat is a must-have too!
It is so important to make sure everyone is buckled. Kids need to know it’s important, too.
Vehicle safety is so important. For my three children, buckling their seat belts is an automatic reflex. I like to think that’s because I serve as a good example.